Tuesday, December 30, 2014

In a study published in Science in August, scientists cataloged the microbes of seven families, swabbing the hands, feet, and noses of each family member, including pets for six weeks. They also collected samples from doorknobs, light switches, and other household surfaces. Each home had a distinct microbial community that came mostly from its human inhabitants, and the scientists could tell which home a person lived in just by matching microbial profiles.

Three of the families moved during the study period, and it only took about a day for their microbes to settle in to the new place. As the journal’s editors put it: “When families moved, their microbiological ‘aura’ followed.”

As clinical laboratory testing options continue to grow and become more complex, it isn't always clear what the best test is for a patient on an individual basis. Across the country, healthcare facilities are placing an emphasis on ordering the right set of tests in an effort to cut down on both over- and under-utilization of the laboratory.

"We run into this problem all the time, where people do a test because they can, rather than because it helps the patient or helps them to make a diagnosis."

Scientists know how to show off the finer details. Take some selfies in the lab while looking down the microscope with this funny science pun thats bound to get some groans or giggles out of your colleagues.

Archaeologists from the University of Basel discovered eggs of intestinal parasites in samples from the former Celtic settlement “Basel-Gasfabrik”, and concluded that its population lived in poor sanitary conditions. Using special geoarchaelogical methods, they found three different types of parasites.
As part of an international project, researchers at the Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science center (IPAS) at the University of Basel examined samples from the “Basel-Gasfabrik” Celtic settlement, at the present day site of Novartis. The settlement was inhabited around 100 B.C. and is one of the most significant Celtic sites in Central Europe. The team found the durable eggs of roundworms (Ascaris sp.), whipworms, (Trichuris sp.) and liver flukes (Fasciola sp.). The eggs of these intestinal parasites were discovered in the backfill of 2000 year-old storage and cellar pits from the Iron Age.

Mice that are already infected with the pathogen that causes Lyme disease appear to facilitate the spread of a lesser-known but emerging disease, babesiosis, into new areas. Research led by the Yale School of Public Health and published Dec. 29 in the journal PLOS ONEused laboratory experiments, mathematical models, and fieldwork data to find that mice infected with the agent that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) are at increased risk for also transmitting Babesia microti, the pathogen responsible for babesiosis, and could be enhancing the geographic spread of this emerging disease. Both diseases are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis).

Monday, December 29, 2014

Look at the differences in the organs of these two people. The left person has a layer of fat surrounding all the organs, I mean look at his/her heart! There is no way all those organs can efficiently do their job when they are that compacted. Next take a look at the joints of both people, especially the ankles. The human body is not designed to support that much extra weight.

Helicobacter is a gram-negative rod with a helical shape on gram stain. The most known strain is H. pylori, which causes ulcers and chronic gastritis and is said to affect up to 50% of the human population. This particular strain, Helicobacter fennelliae is most commonly found in the feces and blood of homosexual men, and can cause bacteremia in immunocompromised patients.

The organism was identified at the University of Colorado Hospital Clinical Laboratory in the microbiology department.

You’ll be voted the most smartly dressed this summer while sporting this scientific swim top, sold exclusively at ModCloth! With a bow-like knot between its slightly padded cups, this black bikini top boasts a clever and quirky print of 2-D molecular models that cross-link between red, yellow, and blue polygons.

Red blood cells are highly recognizable for their unique shape and lovely color. Celebrate what's beautiful on the inside with this scarf, featuring a print adapted from one of my watercolors of erythrocytes.

S. aureus ST151 and ST3028 on blood agar plates. Both strains were isolated from cases of subclinical mastitis The plates were incubated at 37 C for 24 or 48 hrs as shown in the picture. ST3028 is one of the novel strains recently identified. What is interesting is the differential hemolysis pattern of these two strains. ST3028 look non hemolytic which is unusual in most cow associated strain types. ST3028 is a single locus variant of ST2187 which is a cow adapted S. aureus strain type.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Under the scheme, 11 Genomics Medicine Centres are being set up in English hospitals to gather DNA samples to help devise targeted treatments for a wide range of diseases. It is focusing on cancer and rare genetic diseases. The aim is to sequence 100,000 genomes within three years in order to develop new tests and drugs. Doctors will offer suitable patients the opportunity to take part in the scheme.

In a study, a movement of neutrophils in the absence of chemical signals was observed in samples taken from some patients several days before a diagnosis of sepsis could be made, and once effective antibiotic treatment began, the unusual movement pattern began to fade. The authors note that, in addition to allowing faster initiation of antibiotic treatment, the ability to diagnose sepsis rapidly and accurately would reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics that leads to the proliferation of resistant bacteria that is so common in burn units.

"Since only a handful of rare genetic disorders affect neutrophil function, it has long been assumed that studying these cells was not important; but our findings indicate that neutrophils play a much more important role in sepsis than has been appreciated"

In the first in a series of papers has been published in the Lancet today, Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 has been updated to GBD 2013 three years later. The authors aimed to ascertain changes in the global, regional and national burden of mortality for 240 causes of death across 188 countries between 1990-2013. Using similar methods to those used in GBD 2010, but with the addition of new data and improvements in their statistical modelling, the authors found several exciting results.

Generally, although has been a reduction in age- and sex- specific mortality, there has been a shift towards a greater proportion of deaths being due to non-communicable disease and injury. Rising death rates from some important NCDs such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, selected vascular conditions such as atrial fibrillation, and chronic kidney disease, as well as stagnant mortality from leading causes of death such as cancers of the lung, liver, prostate, pancreas, and kidney have the potential to reverse some of these gains made in premature mortality reduction.